I love October. I love the changing of the leaves and the cooler weather that comes with it. With the joys of fall this is also a sad time for me. I come from a large family of women. My dad has only sisters, only daughters and only granddaughters. The women of my family have always been plagued by breast cancer. It seems to be something that we are never able to outrun. It has run rampant through both sides of my family affecting the majority of women without discretion. It has affected both of my grandmothers, aunts, cousins and various other women in my family.
4 years ago we received a diagnosis that completely devastated my family. My younger sister, not even 40 at the time, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Not even old enough to have had her1st mammogram. But she had found a lump and went in to have it checked. Rapid testing was done and treatment plans made and then before any of that could even be put into place came the call...Stage 4. She was terminal and there was nothing that could be done. All previous treatment plans abandoned as they switched gears from treatment to an attempt at extending her life.
.
As my family all gathered and I watched my brother in law sob into the shoulder of his dad, my heart broke. "We were supposed to grow old together." Those words cried in agony. My niece was 8 and I couldn't help but think that she would not completely remember my sister if she were to pass quickly. I thought about my own daughters and what kind of legacy I would want to leave them should I leave this world before I was ready.
Last year my mother received a similar call. "Breast Cancer" they said, treatable. Chemo and surgeries would be required but she would recover. After a year of treatment, my mom had her last chemo at the end of September and she is now cancer free. There will still be treatments and other surgeries but for now she is out of the woods.
In the midst of all of this chaos an idea was born and that idea turned into an organization. My family founded a non-profit to help working age women battling breast cancer. Run by my younger sisters, Katy and Kelly, 2Live2Cure was born. Katy is still here with us and still fighting 4 years later. She is enriching the lives of other women in similar situations. She is strong and she is resilient and she will continue to fight for us all until her last day.
Even though October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month for us it is every month. I am begging you, if you are a woman get your mammograms, do your breast self exams, listen to your body and join us in the fight against breast cancer. For every breast cancer item that you purchase from us all profit goes directly to 2Live2Cure and supporting women with breast cancer because In This Family...No One Fights Alone!
